Youth unemployment grows faster than any G8 nation

Britain is now third worst for youth unemployment after Greece and Spain (Picture: PA)

Youth unemployment in Britain has increased faster than any other G8 country, a new report claims today.

Britain now has the third worst level of youth unemployment among globalised nations – coming in after Spain and Greece in the OECD.

A report by the Work Foundation found the proportion of 15-24 year olds out of work in this country cannot be blamed on the recession, as other major economies have consistently outperformed in the same area.

The research group urged the Government to follow the lead of countries such as Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia, which have consistently low levels of youth unemployment.

It said the Coalition can learn ‘international lessons’ to improve its policy responses.

Lizzie Crowley, the report’s author, said: ‘In many other developed nations, youth unemployment has remained low despite the global downturn.

‘However, the proportion of 15-24 year olds here has increased at a faster rate over the course of the recession than both the European and OECD averages.

‘While the reasons for this are complex, it’s clear that the UK can learn from the experiences of those countries that have fared much better in terms of youth unemployment.’

The report found the number of young people out of work had increased by 35 per cent to 916,000 between 2008 and 2011, compared to an average of 15 per cent in G8 countries.

Germany, Russia and Japan had seen a reduction in youth unemployment in the same period.

The Government was urged to follow the lead of other countries such as Germany and Denmark by taking measures including more apprenticeships, greater employer engagement, increased training and work-for-your-dole schemes.

She added: The government should focus on those policies that have been shown to work, cherry-picking the best responses from other countries and adapting them to the needs of the UK labour market.’